Page 79 of Brazen Criminals

“I’m planning on a ten miler today and an eleven miler next Thursday. I need to get caught back up.”

He nods. “Would it be okay if I track you once I have to turn back?”

I should probably feel weird about that request, but instead, a sense of safety blossoms in my chest. “I’d like that,” I say, shaking out my arms to test my shoulder. It still feels weird, but it’s close enough to normal for me to pretend.

We head to the river again. I enjoy imagining I’m in the woods even when I’m in the city—it feels oddly magical to dash through the woods. The air is crisp, most of the trees shifting to red and gold, a few already dropping their leaves. The old oaks on campus are grasping onto their waxy green, but fall is definitely here.

“How are you feeling?” RJ asks, and I jump, not used to him initiating conversations.

I toss up my good shoulder as we start north on the river path. “I’ve been better.”

“Do you work tomorrow morning?”

Shooting him a grin, I say, “I do. Were you planning something fun to take my mind off it all?”

RJ looks away, tucking his head down—maybe I shouldn’t tease him.

“Hey, that was a joke,” I say. “I’m holding my own. All I can do is try to go back to normal, right?”

RJ glances back at me again. “Do you think it’s done?”

I run another block—taking time to think won’t bother RJ.

Do I think it’s done? No fucking way. But am I going to live my life waiting for the other shoe to drop? Fuck no. I asked both Trips and Walker if I could help, and both of them shut me down. So I’m left wallowing at the crossroads between powerlessness and pending disaster.

I sigh. “No, it’s not.”

“I don’t think so either.”

We run in silence for a while, the afternoon sun slanting gold through the trees as we pace side by side.

“What do you think about that cop, Officer Tom Reed?” RJ’s change in subject is odd, but it makes sense that he’s worried about Trips going to jail for assault, and the rest of them being at risk of obstruction charges.

“I think he’s a genuinely good cop.”

“That’s what I’m finding too.”

We stride under the golden trees, the cool air brushing over my skin, the sound of our breaths mingling. It feels so good to be out—my legs are practically singing after nearly two weeks cooped up in the house. Wall-sits with RJ are not the same as a run.

“Thanks, by the way,” I say.

“For what?” he asks.

I take a risk and bump him, bouncing us off our parallel paths. “For hanging out with me these last few weeks.”

I’m surprised when he bumps me back. “I’ll hang out with you whenever, sugar.”

A stupid grin slips onto my face, ecstatic that RJ likes me, too. Then reality crashes in. Three serious crushes? I am the literal worst.

We reach a crossroads and RJ turns to me, one hand on my good shoulder. “You have your phone?” he asks.

I nod. He squeezes my shoulder, pauses, then pulls me into a sweaty hug. “Stay safe.”

“I will.”

He presses me against his chest, then turns around, heading home. The light changes and I’m off in the opposite direction.

What am I going to do about all these crushes?

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